Ramaphosa appeals to citizens to give ANC another chance to govern

JOHANNESBURG - President Cyril Ramaphosa has appealed to South Africans to give the African National Congress (ANC) another chance to govern the country ahead of general elections this year.

Ramaphosa launched the party's election manifesto on Saturday admitting that progress has stalled because of mistakes made by the ANC-led government.

He told thousands of party supporters at Moses Mabhida stadium that errors have been made in some critical areas, and that the quality of services could have been much better.

“Through our 2019 Election Manifesto, the African National Congress is making a call on all South Africans, black and white, young and old, urban and rural: let’s work together to grow South Africa.

“Let us grow the opportunities available to our people. Let us grow the economy so that all may have decent jobs and an improving quality of life.”

WATCH: #ANC107: ANC launches its election manifesto

Ramaphosa has also called on all ANC members to assist with the tackling of corruption but has cautioned that their efforts are likely to be met with resistance.

The president says corruption must be rooted out in communities and at a state level, saying the ANC-led government is just as determined to expose corruption within the private sector.

When Ramaphosa addressed how the ANC has taken steps to deal with corruption, he cited the Zondo commission into state capture and efforts to reinvigorate law enforcement agencies such as the Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority.

“Members of the ANC, working with communities and various sectors of society, should expose corruption and state capture, understanding that our efforts will be met with resistance by those who are the beneficiaries of these practices.”

But in the full thread on corruption, Ramaphosa skipped over the part in the written speech which spoke directly to incidents where ANC deployed public officials were implicated in stealing from state coffers.

In the exact copy of the speech, the president was expected to mention the looting at the VBS Mutual Bank and call for the speedy arrests of those found guilty.